Wednesday, March 14, 2007

A 'FIGLIO DELLA COSTA' SENDS THE 'BIG ONE'

I DO NOT WRITE ABOUT THIS IN "LA NOSTRA COSTA", HOWEVER; AT TIMES THE RANCERI, TO RELIEVE THEMSELVES OF BOREDOM OR OTHER NEEDS, ENGAGED IN SCOREGGIA CONTESTS TO DETERMINE WHO AMONGST THEM WAS THE CHAMPION SCOREGGIONE. 'FIGLIO DELLA COSTA', JIM CERAGIOLI SENDS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REGARDING THE 'BIG ONE'. THEN 'AMICO DELLA COSTA' JERRILL (THE OLD PROFESSOR) KERRICK, HAS THE AUDACITY TO "OUT" JIM IN HIS COMMENTS BELOW. ALL IN GOOD FUN. ENJOY. Now gang, I am sure you will all enjoy this one. Be sure the sound is on and your ears are clear. Listen to the tune and words. You Santa Cruz Crowd, remember our history.

Subject: Fw: The Big One This is a great country song. You have to listen carefully. It's about "Daddy cutting the big one!" I found it quite humorous - but that's because I'm weird. I hope you enjoy!

This is why I LOVE country music... whether it's crying in the beer, cheatin' hearts or re-uniting love...as well as this one.... ...it's all about life! This is one you will enjoy!

(This) Reminds me of the time my brother and I had to roll all the car windowsdown (electric windows would have been nice back then) to clear out (Jim's) scoreggia! An otherwise healthy person would have been in danger of developing emphysema if they had to ride with (him) every day. I recall that (he) blamed it on that plate of sprouts (grown on the Comelli ranch) that (he'd) eaten the night before.

10 comments:

Lowell Webb
said...

Hello. Reading about "SCOREGGIA" brings back memories of my days as a student Bus Driver on the Santa Cruz to Salinas Hartnell College Bus Run. I seem to remember JIm "FA" Ceragioli and Jerry Kerrick being "Required" to ride in the back of the School Bus(mostly because of SCOREGGIA) Im Sure.

Lowell WebbP.S. if my memory is not 100% correct its because of holding ones breath to long to limit exposure

LNC: Right, Billy. Also, I remember your DAD Mario, 'being the strong silent type'; ie: strong on the smell, and silent on the delivery. As the Degli Esposti Bros. will verify, we had to abandon our 'weight lifting' routine in the 'old barn' on more than one occasion, because of your Dad's sneak attacks. "Che Puzza" ivno

Lowell Webb??????????? I don't seem to remember him. Was he the guy that often times arrived at the bus stop in a less than alert condition and asked ME to be the driver for the morning run? I don't see how he could have been impacted by any early morning odiferous emissions given him having had his sensory organs demolished the previous evening by some unscroupulous activities we meer mortals were too young and innocent to be aware of.

Jim:Our student-driver was "Ralph Kramden!" However a number of students addressed him by his nickname: "Lowell." Thinking about Hartnell has reminded me of a number of interesting things that happened there.

Do you remember the time Mike Kuffel paid us a visit? You and I were in the same Political Science class. Mike sat in the back of the room and lit up a BIG cigar puffing away until it was gone. Some of the students complained to me afterwards, but the professor never said a word!

Len Klempnauer's writings that appeared in John Lemmon Jr.'s April 10 email reminded me of another Hartnell student, Sam Zuckswert (Holy Cross "55"). Do you remember him? Sam was into firearms in a big way and even reloaded all his own ammunition. He bought a 44 magnum which was the most powerful handgun at the time, and his 44 magnum reloads were even more powerful than factory ammunition. Sam, Bob Engels (SCHS "54" and Hartnell student) and I went to the Cowell Quarry (before UCSC of course) to dispel the rumor that the 44 magnum's kick could break one's wrist. For the heck of it we fired at a telephone wire approximately 100 yards away. It was impossible to hit a telephone wire at 100 yards, right? WRONG! One of us (it may have been me) severed the wire. The three of us fled the scene so fast, we must have looked liked those Delta House fraternity members in the movie "Animal House" fleeing Dean Wormer's office when the horse they stole dropped dead.

Sam also owned a 38 revolver for which he reloaded a number of shells with blanks. He brought it to school one day during finals. No, he didn't shoot the bus driver, Ralph Kramden, but in the parking lot afterwards we each took turns shooting at one-another, with blanks of course. Sam then fired at one of the school's secretaries scaring the hell out of her. Finally, he smuggled the gun into his organic chemistry final. Doc. Holms' organic chemistry was the toughest chemistry course offered at Hartnell. When Sam finished his final he turned it in then pulled out the gun pointing it at his head. He said: "This class is killing me!" then fired the 38 and crumpled to the floor. Yes, he got up afterwards and even passed the course. Besides the professor, can you imagine the effect that had on the students who hadn't finished yet?Jerry Kerrick

P.S. No disciplinary action was ever taken. Do you think a student could get away with it today?

John?, Robert?, Bob? He's still a Lemmon! His "1957 SCHS Grads Mailing List" is great even though his first name is hard to remember. It's too bad our class didn't do something like it before our reunion. If they had, I might have found some way to attend.Jerry

P.S. Your blog is doing very well. I've passed the address on to a number of people. It might help sell more books.

About Me

Born the youngest son of Immigrant parents from the Friuli Region in Northeastern Italy, I was raised on a "rancio" on the North Coast of Santa Cruz. In 1959 I graduated from San Jose State College and joined the City Police Force. I retired in 1989 with the rank of Captain. In 2001, my article, "Wrong Side of the Highway," was published in the book, "Una Storia Segreta: The Secret History of Italian American Evacuation and Internment during World War II" (Heyday Books). "La Nostra Costa" (Our Coast),which covers my family's journey to and from the north coast, roughly covers the period between 1923 to 1983. It is my first book.
LA NOSTRA COSTA (OUR COAST)
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